Suction cleaning tool with adjustable brush



Aug. 14, 1956 c, GERBER I 2,758,331

SUCTION CLEANING TOOL WITH ADJUSTABLE BRUSH Filed Sept. 6, 1951 3Sheets-Sheet 1 Mil INVENTOR. Difle C. Gerber ATTORNEY.

4, 1956 D. c. GERBER 2,758,331

SUCTION CLEANING TOOL. WITH ADJUSTABLE BRUSH Filed Sept. 6, 1951 3Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. Dale C. Gerber ATTORNEY.

Aug. 14, 1956 D. c. GERBER SUCTION CLEANING TOOL WITH ADJUSTABLE BRUSHFiled Sept. 6, 1951 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 United States Patent SUCTIONCLEANING TOOL WITH ADJUSTABLE BRUSH Dale C. Gerber, North Canton, Ohio,assignor to The Hugger Company, North Canton, Ohio, a corporation of '0Application September 6, 1951, Serial No. 245,299 7 Claims. (Cl. 15-399)The present invention relates to suction cleaners and more particularlyto a cleaning tool adapted for use as a floor or furniture cleaningbrush.

An object of the invention is to combine two cleaning nozzles into onetool. A further object is to provide a cleaning tool having double rowsof bristles and a restricted nozzle mouth when cleaning one surface, andconvertible to a different arrangement of bristles and an enlargednozzle mouth to clean another type of surface. Other objects andadvantages of the invention will be apparent from the followingdescription and drawings, wherein:

Figure l is a front elevation of the cleaning tool adjusted for cleaningfurniture;

Figure 2 is a bottom view, partly broken away, of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a bottom view showing the bristles and nozzle mouth extendedfor cleaning floors;

Figure 5 is a section on the line 55 of Figure 4; and

Figure 6 is an exploded view showing the structure for slidably mountingthe bristles with respect to each other.

The embodiment of the invention herein disclosed comprises a body it)having an air inlet 11 to a passageway 12 communicating with a conduit13 rotatably mounted at 14 to the body and adapted to be connected to asource of suction, for example a suction cleaner.

A pair of outer brush backs 15 are each arranged along the front andrear of the body at opposite sides of the air inlet 11 and are securedto the body by screws 16. Mounted in each brush back is a row ofbristles to provide a set of spaced rows of surface engaging brushes 18defining an opening 19 at their opposite ends.

A pair of inner brush backs 20 are each provided with a downwardlyfacing U-shaped recess 21 in which is mounted bristles to provide a setof brushes 22, and a marginal recess 23 is at the inner end 24 of eachback 29. The inner brush backs 20 are each provided with a pair offlanges 25 which are slida-ble in a recess 26 formed between a shoulder27 on each outer brush back 15 and the bottom surface 28 of the body 10to movably support the inner brush backs on the outer brush backs. Theinward movement of the inner brush backs 20 is limited by projections 30abutting stops 31 on the outer brush backs 15, and the extension of thebrush backs 20 is limited by the projections 30 engaging the stops 32.

In order to assemble the brush backs to the body 10 the flanges 25 ofthe inner brush backs 2i) are placed in the shoulders 27 on the outerbrush backs 15 and the latter are then secured to the body It) by thescrews 16 to complete the recesses 26 in which the flanges 25 areslidably mounted. Thereafter, a resilient furniture guard 34 is placedover the body 10 and about the outer brush backs 15 as shown in Figures3 and 5.

When it is desired to clean surfaces Where the dirt is embedded, as forexample upholstered furniture, the U- shaped brushes 22 are retractedinwardly of the outer brushes 18 to the position shown in Figure 2. Inthis position, the U-shaped brushes 22 cooperate to define a restrictednozzle mouth 36, and the brush backs 20 partially close the air inlet11, and the walls of the cooperating marginal recesses 23 form areestricted air inlet 37 to the air passageway 12. In this position ofthe brushes, a double row of brushes 18 and 22 is formed forwardly andrearwardly of the restricted air inlet 37 to provide a relatively stiffset of brushes to easily remove the embedded dirt, and the reducednozzle mouth 36 concentrates the flow of air beneath the double row ofbrushes 18 and 22 to the restricted air inlet 37 to thereby aid inremoving dirt from the surface being cleaned.

If a surface having non-embedded dirt, for example a floor, is to becleaned the U-shaped brushes 22 are extended to the position shown inFigure 4. In this position the brushes 1818 and U-shaped brushes 22-22cooperate to define a single row of brushes, except for the overlappingport-ion shown in Figure 4, and an enlarged nozzle mouth 38communicating with the air inlet 11. In this extended arrangement of thebrushes 22 the enlarged nozzle mouth 38 and unrestricted air inlet 11clean a greater area upon movement of the tool over the surface to becleaned.

While I have shown and described but one embodiment of my invention itis to be understood that this embodiment is to be taken as illustrativeonly and not in a limiting sense. I do not wish to be limited to theparticular structure shown and described, but to include all equivalentvariations thereof except as limited by the scope of the claims.

I claim:

1. A suction cleaning tool comprising a hollow body adapted to beconnected to a source of suction, a first set of surface engagingbrushes mounted on said body and forming part of a nozzle mouth, asecond set of surface engaging brushes completing the nozzle mouth andmounted on said body for telescoping movement to retracted and extendedpositions with respect to said first set of brushes and in constantengagement with the surface to be cleaned when in said differentpositions, said sets of brushes arranged with respect to each other toprovide a restricted and enlarged nozzle mouth when said second set ofbrushes is in its said retracted and extended positions.

2. A suction cleaning tool comprising a hollow body having an air inletfor dirt laden air, a first set of surface engaging brushes mounted onsaid body and forming part of a nozzle mouth connected to said inlet, asecond set of surface engaging brushes completing the nozzle mouth andmounted on said body for telescoping movement to retracted and extendedpositions with respect to said first set of brushes and in constantengagement with the surface to be cleaned when in said dilferentpositions, said sets of brushes arranged with respect to each other toprovide a restricted and enlarged nozzle mouth when sai second set is inits said retracted and extended positions, and means to restrict saidair inlet when said second set of brushes is in its said retractedposition and said nozzle mouth is restricted.

3. A suction cleaning tool comprising a hollow body adapted to beconnected to a source of suction, a first set of brushes mounted on saidbody and defining a nozzle area, a second set of brushes defining anopening therebctween and nested with respect to said first set ofbrushes and arranged with its surface engaging portions substantially inthe plane of the surface engaging portions of said first set of brushes,and means mounting said second set of brushes for bodily movement insaid plane relative to said first set of brushes to alter said nestedarrangement of said brushes and said nozzle area.

.s ction cleaning-too1 comprisinga v.hollo'tv body adapted to beconnected to ,a source of suction, a first set of brushes mounted onsaid body, a second set of brushes nested .with respectntousaid firstset of brushes and arranged to definethe perimeterlof one nozzlernouthof one area, andmeans mounting said second set of, brushestor movementwithrespecL-td saidfirst setof brushesto cooperatetherewithin definingthe perimeter of another nozzle mouth of differential-ea. 4

5. A suction ,cleaningitool"comprising a hollow body having an inletfontdirtladen air, a first set of surface engaging longitudinallyextending brushes mountedin spaced relation on.said ,bodycand with. saidinlet therebetween, a, secondiset of spaced brushes mounted on saidbody. for movement longitudinally of said first set of brushes andparallel to the surface engaging plane of the latter into retractedt-andextended. positions Withrespect tosaid first set 1o1brushes,.-saidsecond set of brushes when in its retracted position cooperating withsaid first 7 set of brushes to provide spaced double rows of brushes forengagement ,With the surfaceto be. cleaned, and said second set ofbrushes when in its extended position providing an extension of saidfirst set of spaced brushes for engagement. with the surfaceto becleaned.

6. A suction cleaning tool comprising a hollow body having an inlet fordirt laden air,.fixed surface engaging brushes mounted on said body inspaced relation to provide open-endstherebetween; apairofbrushesarranged" extended position providing anextension of saidfixed, brushesfor engagementwith; the surface to be cleaned.

7. A surface cleaning tool as described in claim 5, and means torestrict said air inlet when said second set of brushes is in its saidretracted position.

References ited file ofthis patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,770,749.Engberg et al July 15-, 1930 1,869,157 Lang-"run July-26,4932 2,029,668McC-ardle Feb. 4, 1936 2,035,688 Brock Mar. 31, 1936 2,180,930 MortensenNov. 21,1939- '2,23 s,22,5 Ross Mar. 18, 1941 2,241,776 Dahl May 13,1941 FQREI GN PATENTS 1,22'9' Great Britain Jan. 15, 1913

